It’s getting to be that time of year again when I’m breaking out boots from my closet that haven’t seen the light of day since last winter—when they took quite a beating walking through the NYC harsh elements. With the Nor’Easter approaching my way this week, I decided to prepare last night.
I have an annual ritual of oiling, polishing and cleaning both my and the hubby’s boots to keep them looking like new…which saves us money from buying new ones.
STYLIST TIPS:
Here are the steps I take to revive my shoes and boots…
1) Look for any holes, tears and wearing away in the soles. Soles can easily be repaired by your local shoe repair and are worth doing if it’s less than the value of the shoe. If it’s more, you may want to donate them. If there are holes or tears, see if they can repair them, otherwise they may have to walk over to the dumpster.
2) If boots are new, treat leather prior to wearing to help become resistant to bad weather with a protecting spray.
3) If your boots need some love, treat the leather with mink oil. I would love to find a good plant or synthetic based oil that works just as well, but this is what the pros use and it seems to keep boots lasting longer than anything else out there.
4) Wipe mink oil off immediately with a polish cloth and shine.
5) If your shoes or boots are scuffed, shoe polish is a great way to make them look like new. Shoe kits are affordable and have both brown and black polish, and a polish cloth, along with a suede brush to revive your suede boots.
6) Store your boots with boot trees to keep their shape. I sometimes use empty wine bottles as an affordable alternative, but boot trees help prevent the folds on the top (like how my boots pictured above are starting to get).
7) Don’t have time? Try a shoe wipe for a shiny quick revival.
xoLiz
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